Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the state's largest commercial health insurer, is rolling back its coverage of pricey GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss. The insurer says it would continue covering GLP-1 medication for subscribers with diabetes. Employers that provide their workers with health insurance can also choose to pay extra if they'd like to include GLP-1 for weight loss coverage in their health plans — or opt out entirely.
As Cigna fights off a lawsuit claiming it systematically denied patients coverage, the health insurance giant just paid departing EVP Eric Palmer $10 million in severance.
UnitedHealth revealed in its first-quarter earnings report of 2025 that it faced a $9.8 billion year-over-year increase in revenues so far this year and managed to serve 780,000 new customers. However, UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty warned that the company did not meet expectations.
When should six drugs count as one? That question is at the heart of an unusual challenge that the pharma company Novo Nordisk is pursuing against the federal government. And the answer could have major ramifications for the Medicare drug price negotiation program, a signature accomplishment of former President Biden that President Trump has also embraced.
At least half a dozen states are weighing new restrictions aimed at limiting pharmacy benefit managers' ability to influence drug prices, including prohibitions on steering business to affiliated pharmacies. With Congress gridlocked on PBM legislation, more states are taking the lead in addressing industry practices that critics say drive up costs and are pushing independent pharmacies out of business.
The Supreme Court today is set to hear arguments in a case challenging a provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires private insurers to cover health care screenings, tests and checkups for free. Experts say the court's ruling in the case, called Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, could have sweeping consequences for patient access to preventive healthcare across the United States.